HILLSVILLE — Even in the quiet before the storm Hurricane Sandy struck, the winds blew over a tractor-trailer on Interstate 77 Monday morning, according to local authorities.

Not a lot of information was immediately available, but Virginia State Police First. Sgt. Mike Musser described it as being like a usual wind-related accident at the 3 mile marker in the Lambsburg area.

The place has a history of empty tractor-trailers falling victim to the wind in that spot.

Cana fire and rescue squad and Carroll Fire-Rescue responded to the scene at about 4:30 a.m., said Mike Mock, Carroll's emergency services director. Carroll's ambulance transported the driver to Twin County Regional Hospital for treatment.

Authorities waited until daylight to set the truck back on its wheels.

Mock hoped that the impact from Sandy — what some are calling "Frankenstorm," because it's predicted as a combination of late-season hurricane and early winter weather — would spare this region.

Early Monday, Mock did what emergency officials could before the bulk of the storm arrived: monitor the progress of the hurricane while it travels north bound along the coast; contact rescue squads and see what crews are available; coordinate with state emergency management, law enforcement and relief agencies like Red Cross.

"We're just on standby, monitoring the weather, notifying the agencies...," he said.

Sustained winds of 35 mph with gusts of 50 mph and snow in Carroll County is what Mock has braced for. It's possible there will be sporadic power outages.

Like other emergency officials, he asked people not to travel and to lay in supplies in case the weather is as bad as feared.

"My opinion is we would always encourage citizens and residents of Carroll County to be prepared for any kind of storm..." Mock said. "These weather events can't always be predicted, so it's better to be prepared than not be prepared."